A business trip
by IaMcHrIsSi
Summary: Sequel to 'Family' Clint and Pepper have a lot of catching up to do... and don't forget they're still going on the business trip. T for sometimes bad language.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First, I want to thank everybody who reviewd, favourited and/or followed Family. I didn't expect such and overwhelming response. You guys are amazing!**

**This picks up right where Family ends, so you should read it before you read this.**

**Ah, what else? Right. English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any language and/or grammatical mistake. And of course, I own nothing.**

* * *

_"Avy?"_

Clint couldn't believe it. After all this years, after all those time he spent searching her, now she lay in his arms, older, but somehow still the same after so many years. Her eyes still looked the same, and her hair was still red. He somehow had feared she'd dye it differently.

After an eternity, he pulled away a bit so he could look her in the eyes. He saw a few tears and knew they were in his eyes, too.

"I can't believe it." She said.

He chuckled. "Me neither"

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"After all those years, you're here. It's like a dream."

He gently rubbed her back.

"If it is a dream, I don't wanna wake up."

She smiled and hesitantly pulled away completely.

"You have to tell me about your life and how you found me." She said and pulled him to the couch. Together they sat down.

"Actually, I didn't search you today. This is a coincidence."

Avy laughed. „Coincidence. Only you can pull such a thing. Now tell me how you ended up as my protection detail then."

He must have looked at her very strangly, because she just said.

"What? It is the only conclusion that makes sense." She laughed, and now Clint laughed, too. She was still so much the same after all those time.

"Well, I don't suppose you'll believe me that I'm a banker?"

"Knowing that Fury promised me his best agent as protection, not really."

Clint laughed. He had really missed her.

"I'll tell you if you tell me how you got Fury to owe you one." Why else would he be here as her protection detail if Fury didn't owe her one?

"Sounds like a deal. But first, I need something to eat. Pizza?"

"Perfect."

* * *

A little while later, they sat in the same spot, only that Clint had taken of his shoes and jacket and they ate pizza.

"So, what happened to you after we were split up?" He asked his little sister. It still felt weird to know her here, next to him, living and happy.

"I spent a week in this orphanage, but then Mom and Dad... Erin and Don came. They adopted me only a few days after our first meeting, and so they became my parents. Frankly, they are the only people who deserve that title from me."

"I understand that. Cara and HE were our biological parents, but nothing more."

"Yeah. That's right. Erin... Mom was a teacher, and Dad a judge."

"They were?"

"Mom died when I was fifteen. It made me and Dad become really close. I became a daddy's girl, who would have thought that? Anyway, he died nearly exactly ten years later."

"I'm sorry." Clint didn't know what else to say. She was his little sister, but he had never met the people she called Mom and Dad. But he saw she missed them.

"You would have liked them. Mom joked much, just like you." She sighed, then looked at him.

"But now what happened to you? I did some searching, but all I got was that you and Barney ran away. And... and that Barney is a criminal"

Clint sighed. Of course she asked about Barney.

"We couldn't stand the orphanage anymore. And there was a circus in town..."

"So you two followed every cliché and went with the circus."

Clint chuckled.

"Yep. Turned out I'm a pretty decent archer."

"Archer? Wait, your Hawkeye?"

"To your service, Ma'am." He grinned.

"Pretty decent is pretty much an understatement then, isn't it?" She chuckled.

"Depents on your point of view."

"Your unbelievable." She laughed now.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She looked at it and cursed.

"So late already? This was my alarm. Our plane leaves in half an hour. We should go."

Clint looked up. He had to remind himself that he wasn't here to catch up with his little sister. On the paper, this was him protecting the CEO of Stark industries. That brought him to another thought...

"One question: You and Stark."

"Oh, not you too. Yes, I'm dating him. You were in a battle with him, for god's sake!"

"That doesn't mean I'm okay with him dating my little sister!"

"Clint!" She got that annoyed look he knew so well.

He decided to drop it for now, but made a mental note to have a serious talk with Stark. With arrow pointing on Starks face, maybe.

* * *

**AN: First chapter finished! Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

It was quite a hurry after that. They drove to the airport and boarded the – private – plane (Clint asked his sister why the plane wouldn't wait for them, because really, wasn't that the sense of having a private jet? Avy just chuckled and said he would sound like Tony. Clint wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult.)

When they were finally seated in the passengers area, Clint once again realized just how rich Stark was. The plane was really luxurious.

„It's impressive, isn't it?" Avy asked.

„Yeah. Why are we going to Egypt again?"

„We were asked to update the electricity system. Basically I'm testing out the water, testing if this is something we can do and how the payment is and everything."

„You're working with the Egypt government?"

„Well, we didn't before the revolution. Now, we're not sure. That's part of my job here, too. Figuring out if we can work with them without giving up our morals."

„Sounds complicated." Somehow Clint was happy that most times he and Tasha just got a clear order what to do. He didn't want to be the one to decide who was good and who not.

„It is. But enough about work. Do you know how Will is doing? I never found anything about him. And you have to tell me how you got from the circus to SHIELD."

„Will is doing good. He … he is working for the Virginia Department of Transportation." Clint didn't know if he should tell Avy what Will was really doing, but then...

„So he's IMF." On his suprised look she shrugged. „What? In my position you hear some things." Clint chuckled.

„You're unbelievable." He said.

„Hey! That's my line!" Clint laughed and Avy soon joined him. It was good to be around each other again.

„But now, how did you end up with SHIELD?" Avy asked and Clint got serious again. She had said she knew Barney was a criminal, but this was going to be a shock. But then again, he thought, better get over it now instead of lying to her or beating around the bush.

„I stayed with the circus till I was seventeen. It was a good time, you know. People there accepted me and respected me for my talents. I sometimes even went to the high wire, I loved the height, still do, by the way." He paused here, knowing the next part would be difficult.

„You always did." Avy said. He smiled. Yes, he had always loved the height. When they were younger, he had had a nest in the woods. Only Avy and Will had been welcomed there.

„Barney... Barney didn't like it so much. He learned archery, too, but he wasn't that good. He didn't like heights and ended up as one of the muscle man who take care of the tent and everything. He grew more and more distant, and one day, I was seventeen, I found out he and another guy were responsible for a few robberies, one of them with the owner of the house coming back early. They... they killed him. I went out to confront him, and his partner shot me. Barney just... he just walked away." Clints voice had grown thin over the last few lines. He looked at Avy. She had visibly paled and watched him slack-jawed, and not in a good way. A single tear made its way over her cheek.

„I was lucky. Some guy found me. He brought me to a hospital. Never found out who he was, by the way. When I woke up all I knew was that the circus had moved on. I later found out that Barney told them I was dead. Anyway, I was alone, had nobody and no idea what to do. And then I followed the second cliché and went to military. Coulson found me in the special forces roughly a year later. That's basically what happened."

Tears were now streaming over Avy's face and Clint did the first thing that came to his mind: He hugged her. He hated to make her cry, but she should know exactly how much of an asshole Barney became.

After a while, she recomposed herself enough to look at him again.

„I... I hope he'll never cross my way. Because if he does, I can't make any guarantee for what I will do." Clint smiled at that. It was his job to protect her, not hers to do that for him. And she probably wouldn't stand a chance against Barney. She'd outsmart him, of course, but in a physical fight? She wouldn't stand a chance.

She must have read his thoughts, because she said:

„I can hold my ground, believe me. I know how to shoot. Won't win a medal for it, but I can use a gun."

„How that?" He hadn't expected that.

„A year after Mom and Dad adopted me, there was an attack on me and Mom while we were shopping. Some guy wasn't happy that Dad brought his brother to jail and wanted to hurt us for it. We were lucky because there was a police officer right next to us, going out with his family. After that, Dad decided that I should learn to defend myself. I got Karate lessons and he taught me to shoot. I haven't touched a gun in years, but I don't think that's something you forget."

„So you're kickass?"

„I prefer to outsmart people, but yes, at least a bit." She smiled.

„Now you have to tell me how you became the CEO of Stark industries! I told you my story, so this is only fair."

She smiled. „I started as a secretary in the financial department. And well, a few weeks after I started, I stumbled over a mistake in accounting. I was set to make sure the company saves money and well, this mistake pretty much ruined a month work. So I went to my boss. He told me that this came directly from Tony Stark and that therefore it wasn't possible that there was a mistake. I knew there was, so I went to Tony himself. I was quite angry to that point so I stormed into his office where he through some coincidence in fact sat. I slammed the file on his desk and asked him to correct the mistake. He looked at me like I was some kind of ghost, then looked at the file and at me again. Then he asked me if I wanted to be his personal assistant."

„And you accepted."

„I was completely blown away. I never expected that, but well, my salary tripled and I was suddenly important, so I took the offer. I was his PA for a bit over a decade before he made me CEO out of the blue. Later I found out he was poisoned and somehow dying, but to that time I was just totally shocked."

„He was dying?!"

„Palladium poisoning. And he didn't tell me. Well, in the end I told him that I wouldn't go on being the only CEO, so in the end I'm CO-CEO together with him. And no comment about him and me!"

„I wasn't going to..."

„Of course you were. I'm still your sister, I know!"

Clint chuckled and Avy couldn't stop herself from smiling. It was good to be together again.

* * *

**AN: First, big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and/or followed. You're awesome!**

**Second, you should tell me what you think. It makes it easier for me to write on =) **

**And it makes me write faster, really!**


	3. Chapter 3

„Iiihhhh! Clint!" Avy exclaimed.

He turned around from the window, searching for the threat that scared his little sister. But there was nobody. Nothing. Only... only a little spider on her book. He chuckled.

„It's only a little spider, even poisonous. No need to panick!"

„Take it away, Clint, take it away!"

„How did it even get here? This plane doesn't look like the place I would expect spiders..."

„Clint! I don't care how it got here! Take it away!"

He laughed, but obeyed.

„How come you panick that much? You've never been afraid of spiders." He asked.

„I... well... Okay. This is embarrassing, and I only tell you if you promise me not to laugh." She looked at him sternly.

„Promise."

„Real promise?" He smiled. It was an old game between them. You only had to hold onto a promise if you said 'diamond promise'. It had been part of the 'secret language' they created in the lonely hours they spend in his first nest, the one in the woods, where only Avy, Will and he himself had been allowed.

„Diamond promise."

„I was twelve, and in a summer camp. There was this boy, Reddie Ron as he was called, he was making fun of everyone and well... one night I and a few friends were his targets. He sneaked into our cabin and well, I woke up later. With a big fat spider on my face. It was really scary..."

Clint bit his lip not to laugh. The story was really funny, but he diamond promised it to her, so he tried to keep a straight face.

„So this Reddie Ron..."

„Oh, we took care of him. He had also put spiders in the beds of the other girls and well, we made him pay." She smiled evilly.

„Now you've got me. What did you do?"

„Oh, well, we just made sure he lived up to his nickname..."

He tilted his head to the side, looking at her questioningly.

„We sneaked into his cabin and exchanged the shampoo with red colour. You should have seen him fuming."

Now Clint was laughing. But Avy laughed with him, so he figured it was safe.

„And you? No embarrassing childhood stories I should know?"

„No."

„No? Why don't I believe you?"

„At least not now." He tried to get out.

She chuckled. „The business trip is planned to be a week long. Bet I know all the dirty secrets by the end of the week?"

„I'm not betting with you. Remember the dress incident?"

„I liked you in my dress." She laughed.

He stuck out his tongue what only made her laugh harder.

„We're such children." She said.

„We're adults often enough. The last time I saw you we both were children. I think we're allowed to be childish."

* * *

Two hours later Clint saw his sister getting more and more tired. They had talked the whole time, joked around, and now she looked like she was falling asleep sitting.

„You should sleep." He said.

„Always the overprotective big brother, hm?" She smiled.

„Everything for my little sister."

She attempted to stand up, but following an impulse he was there faster, lifting her into his arms. She shrieked, but laughed.

„What are you doing, Clint?"

„You've got a bed in here?" He asked.

„Just over there, there's one for you, too."

He carried her into the direction she had pointed and layed her down on a suprisingly big bed. She shut her eyes and he smiled. She looked so relaxed, so young.

„You should sleep, too. Come here." She patted on the bed, next to herself.

He smiled and layed down. As childs they had often slept in the same bed, to know the other was there to protect them from Barney sr. and to chase away the nightmares had always been a good feeling. Before sleep claimed him, too, he whispered:

„Sweet dreams, little sister."

„Sweet dreams, big brother." Came her replie. Just like always.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's been so long, I've been kind of busy... anyway, tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So sorry for the long wait! **

* * *

Clint woke up to the humming of an engine. Before opening his eyes (and revealing to everyone who may be present that he was awake) he checked out the area blindly, a habit formed out of years of waking up in unpleasant environments. He was lying on a comfortable, yet small bed, together with another person, probably Natasha. His danger sense didn't spike, so he figured it was okay to stay in bed for the moment. Not wanting to open his eyes, he let the wonderful dream he had last night pass before his eyes again: He had found Avy. She was alive, happy and she was there. With him. He smiled.

Then Natasha moved slightly, and it felt so not-Natasha, that he cracked an eye open. And the first thing he saw was red hair. Strawberry-red hair.

He fully opened his eyes and shook his head several times, trying to proceed the fact that it hadn't been a dream, that Avy was here, sleeping in the same bed he slept in, just like they were kids all over again, just like he hadn't lost her.

Her ginger hair, contrasting to the white pillow it was spilled on, surrounded her sleeping face. She looked so young, so innocent, so much like the eight-year-old-girl she had been the last time he saw her that he felt a little tear in his eyes.

Just like every time, when he had seen her sleeping peacefully, he promised himself that he would protect her. Only this time, protecting her would involve having a serious talk with Tony Stark. The guy might have saved the world, but that didn't mean he was allowed to date Clint's little sister.

Just as Clint started feeling a bit like a creep for staring at his little sister while she slept, she stirred and woke up.

Her blue-grey eyes found Clint's similar ones and she smiled.

„I feared it was a dream. That I only imagined all this." She said.

„Me too." Clint admitted.

„Good it's none." She said, and Clint smiled.

* * *

Two hours and a suprisingly delicious breakfast later (who would have known Avy could cook that good?) they sat together to finally do what they should have done hours ago: Discussing what exactly they were up to do.

„So, you're meeting this governmental guy?" Clint asked.

„Today in 1300 hours. I'll talk to him, figure out what exactly he wants Stark Industries to do, then have a bit small talk with him. After that, I will go meeting the a representative of the opposition tomorrow in 1500 hours and listen to him. So we will get to see both sides."

„And I will have your back." Clint said.

„That's the plan."

„It's risky. There have been a few demonstrations on the Tharir place again, and it got bloody."

„That's why you are here."

Clint smirked.

„I wish we would have met... I don't know. In the middle of New York. Somewhere I don't have to fear for you getting hurt."

„I do, too. It would have been nice to just sit together and talk. But I was in Egypt before. It's really unlikely that anything will happen."

„I learned not to trust probability."

Pepper chuckled and said.

„It will be fine."

* * *

When they landed and got of the plane, the sun was shining. The private airport seemed empty, only a few workers greeted them. It was a peaceful scene.

Suddenly Clint tensed. His danger sense was going wild and he instinctively stood in front of Avy, protecting her from whatever alerted him.

She looked at him confusedly, and then something in front of him exploded. In the same moment, gunfire erupted from somewhere.

He grabbed her arm and searched for cover. Finally, he found small wall that would do for now and dove behind it while grabbing his gun and beginning to fire.

He tried figuring out where the bullets came from when Avy patted his arm. She looked at him, afraid but calm, and he remembered what she had said on the plane _„Dad taught me to shoot"_. He thought of it a moment, than smirked and gave her the small gun he always hid in his shoe.

She started firing, and for a moment he just watched her, making sure she could handle it. At least for the moment, it seemed like she could.

Knowing this, he started looking around, trying to get used to his surroundings. He counted at least one sniper and a couple of guys with machine pistols. Then he looked back at the plane and saw the pilots still in it. The perfect escape.

He motioned to Avy to go there. She looked at him questioning, but then understood what he wanted and got ready.

When he shouted „GO!" She started running while he provided cover fire.

She just reached the plane when it exploded in a ball of fire.

* * *

**AN: A bit action here. I hope you like it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm so so sorry that it took so long! I was busy learning for school =(**

**And yes, I do know that kerosene doesn't explode when you just shoot at it. But it works in all those action movies, so I think I'm allowed to bring it in here, too ;)**

* * *

_She just reached the plane when it exploded in a ball of fire._

For a moment Clint just stared at it in shock. This couldn't be. She couldn't be...

Then suddenly he saw a figure. Strawberryred hair told him it was her. She was trying to get up. He let out a sigh of relief. At least she was alive! Then a few bullets embedded themselves into the wall next to him and he realized they still weren't out of danger. He shot back, trying to get the enemies to focus on him so they wouldn't get that Avy was still alive.

While firing, he tried to find a new escape route. Whoever this was had obviously planned this thing well, because he found nothing. He then glanced to Avy... just to find she wasn't there anymore. Cursing, he looked around. Where was she? Was she... no, he didn't want to think this thought any further.

Suddenly the sound of an engine came from behind him. He turned around, guns raised, and saw... Avy, in a car. She motioned him to jump in and thanks to years of practice with Tasha (who sometimes did the strangest things on missions) he simply did without asking questions. He knew they would be an easy target, so he aimed at a full tank and shot. The whole thing exploded and they were covered for the moment.

* * *

Avy was driving. She looked pretty beaten up and shocked and there was a small gash on her forehead, just over her left brow he should take a look at, but she was alive and had, as far as Clint could see it, no life threatening injuries. She also wasn't panicking like he half-expected her to be.

Clint himself looked around every two seconds, making sure they weren't followed and scanning the area for other hostiles. After ten minutes of silent driving, each of them trying to deal with what just happened, Avy finally spoke.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Well, we were attacked. Looks like somebody didn't want you to come here. Are you okay?" He didn't mean her physical condition.

"Apart from the fact that a small army just tried to kill me? Apart from the fact that you are bleeding from your arm? Apart from the fact that somebody blew our plane up?" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I guess, I'm okay. When the plane exploded I hit my head pretty hard, but I don't think I have a concussion. I'll live, I guess."

Clint looked down at his arm and grimaced. She was right. He was bleeding. Obviously a bullet had hit him sometime during the fight. He didn't even notice. Then he looked at his little sister and put his most optimistic face on. She was holding up better than he thought, but that didn't mean she wasn't on the brink of panick.

"Hey, it's going to be alright. We just make sure we're not followed and then we hide for a while until we know what the hell this means."

She looked at him questioning, but then obviously decided panick wouldn't help her. She smiled at him, a horrible fake smile, but the thought counted, and nodded.

* * *

Two hours later they arrived at one of his safe-houses. It was in a little village near Cairo and Clint had figured that it was the best choice for the moment. The whole ride he had kept glancing at Avy warily, expecting her to crack, but after the first few moments of panick she obviously pulled herself together. She had insisted on driving, and Clint had the strong suspicion that she needed to do something to keep herself from thinking to much.

He led her in. The house wasn't special, it was small with only two rooms and a bathroom, but it would fulfill it's purpose: Nobody would search them here.

Once inside, Avy sat down. Clint watched as she closed her eyes for a moment. He didn't know what to do. He had been in worse situations, but he knew telling her that wouldn't help. She opened her eyes again and met his.

„Let me look at your arm." He had bandaged it a bit, enough to stop the bleeding but far from good.

He did as she asked him and she got a first aid kit, cleaning up the graze and putting a new bandage around it.

„What do we do now?" She asked.

„I have a phone here. I'll call SHIELD. They are going to send back-up and we get out of here. It's going to be alright, Avy. Trust me, it's going to be alright."

She looked at him, and he saw the fear, the shock and everything that had happened in her eyes. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, trying to show her that he was here, that he would never ever let anything happen to her.

He would find those guys. They would pay for attacking his little sister.


	6. AN!

Dear Readers,

I'm really sure but this is not a chapter. I am going on a vacation which is why I won't be able to update in the next two weeks.

Just so you don't wonder, I'm not abandonig my stories.

Greetings, IaMcHrIsSi


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